


Stay Here with You

by thehorrorinsymmetry



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: (it doesn't come up in this fic but that was always the plan for this universe), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, read the author's note bc it needs some context, trans Finn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-13
Updated: 2017-09-13
Packaged: 2018-12-27 08:16:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12077160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thehorrorinsymmetry/pseuds/thehorrorinsymmetry
Summary: Finn has never really thought of his birthday as a big deal but Poe sets out to change that.





	Stay Here with You

**Author's Note:**

> okay so this is originally one scene out of a longer fic that i almost definitely will not have time to finish and when i was writing it i wrote this alternate ending to it so it kind of works as a standalone and like things have been stressful and this isn't quite as polished as i'd like but i just wanted to post some nice finnpoe fluff so here it is sldkfsdjf
> 
> context: poe is a farmer and finn is an elementary school teacher, they meet when finn brings his class to poe's farm but shortly after that they end up rescuing a baby deer together who they end up naming Sweetheart

Finn isn't the biggest fan of birthdays.

Growing up he saw his classmates act like birthdays were the biggest deal - the best, most important holiday of the year. Being in foster homes didn't really harvest the same experiences. There were a couple foster parents that made sure to celebrate with cake and a small present, but birthdays had never been a be all end all kind of deal for him, and turning 28 is no different.

He usually goes out with Rey - sometimes a fancy dinner but usually something along the lines of eating ice cream straight from the container while they watch Netflix in their pj’s. They have plans to do just that tomorrow night which means he gets to spend his evening doing whatever he wants.

Visiting the farm and ignoring his grading for a night sounds pretty great.

He gets a number of hugs from the kids and Rose and Kaydel take him out for lunch. It's a good day.

He packs up slowly after the last bell rings, considering whether it'd be worth stopping at home to change before he heads over to the farm as he waits out the worst of the end of the day rush.

There's a knock at the door that pulls him out of his thoughts. He looks over and every thought present in his head promptly disappears because Poe is standing there, dressed up in a light grey dress shirt and navy blue slacks, his curls tamed and his jaw totally clean shaven for the first time since Finn's met him.

Finn crosses his arms to keep from pinching himself.

“Uh, hey Poe,” Finn swallows, his throat suddenly dry. “What are you doing here?”

Poe smiles at him but there's a tenseness to his features that throws Finn off. “I'm kidnapping you.”

He freezes. “Uh, sorry?”

“I'm kidnapping you?” Poe clears his throat and steps into the room. “I can't tell you where we’re going, but you should come with me, yeah? Oh, and I need your keys. Rose is going to drive your car home, so you don't have to worry about it.”

He frowns. “Uh,”

A knot forms between Poe's eyebrows. “If you don't want to go or if you have plans, we don't have to, I just - it's your birthday and I don't want to ruin the surprise, but I think you'll like it.”

Poe stares at him, chewing on his lip as he waits for Finn to answer.

Poe planned a surprise for him. For his birthday. Poe planned him a surprise and showed up at his work all dressed up. For him.

“Okay,” He nods rapidly. “Yeah, let’s go.”

Poe's smile warms him down to his bones.

 

\--

 

The route Poe takes when they leave the school is incredibly familiar.

At first he thinks it's just a coincidence and is very distracted by the man beside him, but when they turn off of the main road he has to speak up. “Are we going to my apartment?”

“Yeah,” Poe nods, keeping his eyes on the road.

“Why is Rose driving my car there? I could have driven it and just met you there.”

Poe breathes a laugh. “What kind of a kidnapper would I be if I let you drive away in your own vehicle? This might be my first time but I'm not that dumb.”

He snorts. “Then why are you taking me to my apartment? I know the place better than you do, what if I give you the slip?”

“It's a calculated risk.” Poe grins, his dimples even sharper on the smooth skin of his cheek. Finn grabs his seatbelt with both hands, tightening his grip so his hands won't start to wander. “You have to change before we can do anything.”

He stares at the side of Poe's face. “How am I supposed to know what to wear if I don't know where we’re going?”

Poe glances at him, still grinning softly. “Dress nice. You always dress nice, you'll be fine.”

Heat rushes through his face. He takes a deep breath and lets his gaze go out of focus as he watches street lamps passing by. He turns back to Poe, eyeing the way the fabric of Poe's shirt hugs his shoulders. “You know, you don't clean up so bad yourself.”

“I'm glad you think so,” Poe bites his lip, glancing over at him. “I don't just dress up for anybody.”

“No?”

Poe hums. “It's not so bad, though.” He pulls a hand off the steering wheel and rubs it against his own cheek. “I forgot how nice it feels when I shave properly.”

Well.

He takes a split second to think about it before reaching over. He brushes his fingers over Poe's cheek, dragging them down under his jaw. Poe's skin is impossibly soft under his fingers, warm like stepping into sunlight.

“Wow,” He breathes out, feeling Poe's sharp inhale against his fingers. Poe glances at him, looking back at the road when he forces himself to pull back.

He tries not to think about how he can smell Poe's aftershave.

“It's, uh. Good.” He clears his throat. “I didn't know you knew how to shave like that.”

“Very funny.” Poe breathes a laugh. “I can shave myself just fine, thank you. I only nicked myself once.”

He laughs. “Impressive.”

They arrive at his apartment a few minutes later and Poe lets him go in with the warning that he better come back soon. He gives Poe the eye roll that sort of thing deserves, instead of telling him what he's thinking.

Telling Poe that he can't imagine doing anything else would probably be a bit much.

He refuses to give into the surge of panic as he pulls his closet open. There is absolutely no reason to stress out about his outfit.

This isn't a date.

He pulls on some black slacks that make his ass look great - not that that's the reason he chose them - and a deep purple button up shirt and only gives himself a few seconds to fix his hair and check himself out in the mirror before he heads out.

Poe's waiting in the truck, playing on his phone when Finn pulls the passenger door open and hops into cab. “So? This'll do?”

Poe looks over at him, his mouth slack as he looks Finn up and down. “Yeah, uh…” Poe trails off. “I told you - that's, uh, a really nice colour.”

“Thank you.” He clears his throat and does his seatbelt up to pull away from Poe's gaze and think about something other than how the colour of his eyes remind Finn of dark leather, wrapped around him and warming him. “So - do I get to know where we’re going now?”

“Nope.” Poe laughs. “You'll know when we get there.”

They drive for about twenty minutes. Poe sings along to the radio and they talk about their days and Poe catches him up on the latest farm gossip.

Finn's pretty sure he wouldn't be disappointed if they just spent the evening driving around together.

Poe pulls into a parking lot for a nice looking restaurant.

Huh.

“You taking me out for dinner?”

“No.” Poe frowns as he shuts off the truck. “Well, yes. Kind of? I am but this isn't the surprise.”

“Poe -”

“Hey, no, don't  _ Poe _ me buddy.” Poe shakes his head. “I can't take you anywhere on an empty stomach, that's terrible kidnapping etiquette.”

He watches Poe, something heavy flipping in his stomach. “Thank you.”

“You can thank me later, buddy. Let’s go eat.”

Poe leads him into the packed restaurant but as it turns out Poe's already made reservations.

Of course he has.

They're seated within a few minutes, shown to a small table with flickering candlelight. The waitress takes their drink orders and leaves them with a set of menus that confirms his suspicions about just how upscale this place is.

“Poe, this has been really nice but you know you don't have to do all this, right?”

“Yeah, I know.” Poe nods slowly. “I'm doing it because I want to.”

He frowns. “How'd you even know it was my birthday? I don't remember telling you.”

Poe flushes, opening and closing his mouth silently, dropping his eyes to the table.

Shit.

“Wait, I don't mean - I'm not mad or anything,” He reaches out and squeezes Poe's hand. “I'm just surprised.”

Poe bites his lip. “I asked Rey, awhile ago. I really love birthdays and I wanted to make sure I didn't miss yours so I asked her when she came by to get Jess one day.”

“That's really nice, Poe.” He pauses, internally cringing. “Wait, have I missed your birthday?”

Poe shakes his head with a laugh. “It's November 16th.”

“November 16th, okay.” He sighs. How is he ever going to compete with this man? “Do you know what you're going to order?”

“Maybe some pasta? It sounds pretty good.” Poe shrugs, glancing down at the menu. “What about you?”

“Their eggplant parmesan looks really good.” He sighs, sending Poe his best puppy dog eyes look. “It's kind of hard to tell how much I should eat, though, since I don't know what we’re doing afterwards.”

Poe laughs. “You’re not gonna get it out of me, buddy.”

“Can I at least get a hint?”

“Nope.”

He crosses his arms. “It’s my birthday.”

Poe grins.

 

\--

 

The meal goes by quickly. Poe checks his watch every few minutes and refuses to tell him a single thing about his plans, blatantly changing the topic every time Finn brings it up again.

He tries to think about what the surprise could be - there really can't be that many situations in which Poe would dress like that - but he doubts Poe's taking him out for dinner and dancing for his birthday. After a few minutes of fruitless brainstorming he decides that clearly this surprise is something Poe cares about and the very least he could do after everything's Poe's done for him is go along with it.

The next thing they know the waitress is back and collecting their empty plates, asking about dessert. He opens his mouth to say he's fine, thanks, but pauses when Poe smiles at her.

“Actually, it's my friend's birthday today. Do you guys do anything for that?”

“Oh, of course. Happy birthday!” She smiles at him. “I'll be right back.”

He blinks. He opens his mouth to tell her it's  _ really _ not necessary but she's already headed off. Poe grins at him, his dark eyes twinkling.

“Really?”

He kind of hates it when Poe smiles at him like that - it's pretty impossible to hold any kind of grudge against him in general, let alone when he looks like sunshine incarnate.

“You gotta have dessert on your birthday, it's the rules.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Is there a copy of these rules somewhere?”

“Yeah, in the laws of the universe. It's actually one of Einstein’s lesser known discoveries.”

He shakes his head. “I'll get you back for this.”

“I look forward to it.”

Three of the wait staff walk out of the kitchen led by their waitress, some kind of dessert in her hands.

Fantastic.

They plaster big smiles on their faces when they reach the table and immediately begin to sing, projecting their voices as if they were performing in a musical.

He stares at Poe, heat rushing through his face and burning his ears. Poe, on the other hand, is having the time of his life. He claps at the end of the song, grinning wide. “Happy birthday, Finn!”

He looks at Poe under his lashes, fondness softening the edge of anxiety at having just been sung to in public by strangers. “You're lucky I like you.”

“Yeah,” Poe’s smile softens, his gaze warm. “I am.”

He drops his gaze to the plate, salivating a tiny bit at the brownie and scoop of ice cream drizzled with caramel and chocolate sauce.

Damn.

He takes a small bite and immediately flutters his eyes shut, groaning as the warmth of the brownie melts the ice cream on his tongue, the rich flavour delighting his taste buds. “Oh my God,”

When he blinks his eyes open Poe is staring at his mouth, Poe's own mouth hanging open slack. He licks his lips, staring at Poe. “It's uh, really good.”

Poe blinks and glances down at the table. “Yeah, it looks really good.”

“Here,” He holds his fork out. “Try it.”

“Oh, no, it's okay,” Poe grins, glancing at him for a moment before taking a sip of his drink. “It's your birthday dessert.”

“Yeah, it's my dessert and I want to share it. Aren't you supposed to listen to me on my birthday?” He scoops some of it onto his fork and holds it out again.

Poe glances between his face and the fork. For a moment he doesn't move at all and Finn wonders how he'd react if he just smushed it on Poe's face. Poe finally moves but instead of taking the fork from him like he expected Poe leans forward, his gaze never leaving Finn's, and takes the fork into his mouth.

Oh.

Poe slides his mouth off the fork slowly, licking the couple of crumbs off his lip.

Finn swallows.

He does not think about what it would be like to taste the brownie on Poe's lips.

He puts the fork down.

“You're right,” Poe glances down at the brownie. “S’really good.”

He nods.

“How's the dessert?”

He jumps in his seat, looking up to see their waitress standing right in front of him. “Uh, good - can we get another fork?”

“Of course.” She turns on her heel and leaves them alone.

Hm.

They both take a sip of their drinks.

“Do we need to get going soon?”

Poe clears his throat as he checks his watch. “Uh, we should be good for a while. As long as traffic isn't bad we don't need to rush.”

Finn nods.

The waitress drops a fork off with a polite smile. He holds it out for Poe. “C’mon.”

Poe’s fingers brush the fork as he takes it from Finn. He ignores the flutters in his stomach -it’s probably just the food settling, really - and nods. “That's more like it.”

Poe raises an eyebrow. “Bossy.”

“Damn right I am.” He takes another piece. “I'm the man.”

His heart skips a beat but it doesn't have anything to do with the way Poe smiles at him.

Probably.

 

\--

 

Finn tries to concentrate on where Poe is driving.

It doesn't go great, but he makes a valiant effort considering the way Poe is smiling the entire time.

They park in a random lot downtown between an apartment building and a cafe. Poe tells him they're just a few minutes away and checks something in his pocket before leading Finn down the sidewalk.

They walk for a few minutes, Poe getting less and less subtle about looking around them.

“Are you lost?”

Poe scoffs. “I have an excellent sense of direction.”

“That's not what I said, smart ass.” He nudges Poe. “Where are we supposed to go?”

Poe huffs. “Uh, Taylor street?”

“Oh,” He laughs. “We passed that a few minutes ago.”

“What?”

“Yeah, it's back there.” He grins at Poe's dismayed frown. “You're really not a city boy, huh?”

Poe doesn't respond.

“Come on,” He takes Poe's hand and pulls him forward. “Whatever it is, I don't want to miss it.”

Poe follows him, holding onto Finn's palm with a firm grip even as he grumbles. “I could have found it.”

“Do you even remember where you parked? If I let go are you going to end up in Canada?”

Poe rolls his eyes and knocks their shoulders together. “Very funny, wise guy.”

Poe's palm is warm, callused from the years spent on the farm. He takes a deep breath and focuses on finding the street so he doesn't look down at their joined hands - it's not a big deal. Their fingers aren't entwined so it's not a romantic kind of gesture. Friends hold hands all the time.

Everyone knows how affectionate Poe is.

He stops when they reach the right intersection and points up at the large street sign. “Don't be embarrassed, anyone could have missed that.”

Poe turns in towards him and wags his finger. “You're lucky we’re in public, buddy.”

“Oh I am, am I?”

Poe glances at his watch with a start. “Shit! We gotta go.”

He lets go of Finn's hand and jogs a few steps forward. “Come on, it's almost starting.”

He catches up to Poe, just close enough for their arms to brush. “You said we were fine.”

“We  _ were _ fine until we took the detour -”

“- oh, so that's what you call it?”

Poe rolls his eyes.

“Hey!” He turns and blinks when he realizes Poe stopped about fifteen feet back. Poe lifts a hand up, pointing at the building they're in front of. “Where are you going? We’re here.”

He looks up to where Poe's pointing and -

Wait.

They're standing in front of the concert hall.

“Poe -” He takes a deep breath. “What are we doing here?”

Poe smiles softly as he pulls a folded up paper out of his pocket and moves closer to Finn, holding it out for him.

His fingers shake as he opens it and sees two tickets for Phantom of the Opera.

Oh.

“Poe,” He breathes the name out, barely louder than a whisper. “These - this was sold out. There haven't been tickets for ages.”

Poe shrugs. “I found some.”

He stares at Poe. “These are really good seats - this must have been so expensive, I can't -”

“Don't worry about that.” Poe bites his lip. “Do you like it?”

“Do I - do I  _ like _ it?” He gapes at the tickets and tries to grasp a solid thought as his mind whirls. “This is - I'm -”

The words die in his throat, which is - there probably aren't any words good enough anyway. He pulls Poe into a tight hug, pressing his face against Poe's neck. “Thank you.”

Poe wraps his arms around Finn's waist, his breath brushing over his ear. He rubs a hand over Finn's back. “You're welcome, Finn.”

He holds onto Poe tight, breathing in the comforting scent of his aftershave, the bit of farm that always makes him feel good. “Poe, this is so much.”

“You're worth it, buddy.” Poe squeezes his shoulder and steps back to smile at him. “You want to go in? We can just leave, if you want.”

He grabs Poe's arm and pulls him towards the entrance.

 

\--

 

The show is  _ amazing _ .

The performance is haunting, the songs making him tense and on edge in the best kind of way. He's enthralled from beginning to end but part of his brain still drifts to the way Poe's leg is pressed against his during the course of the show. He glances over at Poe several times during the show but he never seems quite interested in the story - either watching with his cheek resting on his hand, or his eyes almost shut, or already looking at Finn.

He doesn't think about that last one.

The night races by, seemingly only mere seconds between first meeting Christine and seeing her and the phantom say their goodbyes. He feels utterly exhilarated as he walks out of the theatre,energy thrumming through his veins.

“So?” Poe takes his elbow, leaning in close to him as they move through the crowd. “What did you think?”

“I  _ loved _ it,” He turns to look at Poe and almost runs into someone. “Those sets? The way they used the space was brilliant, and the ensemble was great but Christine was  _ breathtaking _ , so lovely and heartbreaking, I could feel it in my bones when she broke down.

“And the costumes! The way those dresses flowed, I -” He bites his lip. “Sorry, I'm gushing, but it was so wonderful. Did you like it?”

“Hey, no, you don't need to apologize for that.” Poe chews on his lip for a moment. “It was good, uh - it was very - I liked the music?”

“Yes! The orchestra was fantastic.”

Poe drops his elbow when they get out of the building but stays just as close to him despite the dwindling crowd. “I have to say I never really got the point of operas - they just kind of seemed like overly dramatic musicals that you usually couldn't understand, but I like the way you talk about it. It's nice.”

Heat spreads through his cheeks, burning in the cool breeze. “You did like it, though?”

Poe nods. “It was different than what I expected.”

“Sometimes it hits you by surprise, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Poe smiles. “Something like that.”

 

\--

 

Poe shuts the engine off when he parks in front of Finn's building.

He looks out the window at the entrance to his building. It's never looked so unwelcoming.

He shifts, turning to face Poe. “Thank you, Poe. Seriously, tonight was amazing.”

“I'm glad you liked it.” Poe pauses, glancing at the steering wheel. “There's, uh, one more thing.”

“Poe, no, you've done so much -”

“- this one isn't from me, though.” Poe turns around and splays himself over the seat as he reaches for something in the back.

The man wears dress pants  _ really _ well.

Poe drops back into the seat and holds out a small package wrapped in blue tissue paper. He takes a deep breath. “Poe,”

“This isn't from me, buddy. This was Sweetheart’s idea,” Poe grins. “She just couldn't come with us cause she would've tried to eat the set.”

He breathes a laugh. Poe grins at him, arm still out towards his chest. He stares at Poe, searching his face. “Is this the last one?”

Poe raises his eyebrows. “From Sweetheart?”

He rolls his eyes.

“If I say yes will you take it?”

He takes it if only because he knows how stubborn Poe can be. He turns it in his hands, melting a little bit more at the haphazardly wrapped box. “It’s pretty impressive, Sweetheart being able to wrap this with her little hooves.”

Poe laughs, putting his arm up on the back of the bench so he can rest his head against his head. “Our girl’s pretty amazing.”

“Mhm,” He shakes the package, sniffing it entirely for Poe’s benefit. “Is it carrots?”

Poe just waggles his eyebrows.

He rips into the paper, revealing something solid and black, and -

Oh.

He gasps as he takes in the framed photo of himself and Poe with Sweetheart, a few weeks after they first rescued her. He remembers taking the photo as if it was yesterday - he had just given Sweetheart a bottle and she was nuzzling him. Poe had pressed himself right beside Finn and pulled his phone out, saying that this was a moment they should remember.

Poe was absolutely right.

He runs his thumb over Sweetheart’s head. “Poe, this is beautiful.”

“Sweetheart thought you should have a picture of her.”

He looks up at Poe. “You should tell her that I love it. And that it’s really thoughtful, and I already know where I’m going to put it on my desk. And this whole night was probably the best birthday I’ve ever had. She should know that, I want her to know that.”

Poe smiles, crow’s feet out in full force. “She’d be really happy to hear that.”

“She should be, she was really, stupidly generous tonight.” He stares at Poe. “I’m really glad I met her.”

For a moment Poe doesn’t react. Slowly, his smile drops ever so slightly - infinitesimally, but somehow so obvious - his gaze heavier than it had been a heartbeat ago. “She’s - she’s happy she met you too.”

They’re so close, Poe’s aftershave in the air - in his lungs, in his head - his own heartbeat roaring in his ears. He blinks, glances down at his mouth, at the skin he’d shaved smooth for Finn, for this incredible night that Poe put together for him, for going to a musical he had no interest in because he knew Finn wanted to go.

Poe’s eyes are dark when he looks up again, unmoving from his own. They’re closer, only a handful of inches between them - when did that happen? His gaze drops again, moving without thought. Poe’s breath brushes his cheek, slow, shallow.

He closes his eyes.

Poe’s nose presses into his as they try to find the angle and then Poe’s lips meet his, a gentle brush that threatens to send him flying. He can  _ feel _ Poe’s sharp inhale when he cups Poe’s jaw, using just his fingertips to tilt Poe’s head up, the softest touch he can manage.

Poe breaks the kiss, pressing their foreheads together, pushing his cheek into Finn’s hand. Poe’s hand is on his knee, warm and heavy, steady, grounding him.

He takes a deep breath and moves his head back enough for Poe to come into focus, so he can see the flush across Poe’s cheeks that cause the butterflies in his chest to take flight all over again. He brushes his fingers over Poe’s jaw, his throat dry when he finally speaks. “My wish just came true.”

Poe sighs out, like he’d been holding his breath. He turns his head and presses a kiss into Finn’s palm, nuzzling it before returning to meet his gaze. “That’s funny,” His voice is low, almost inaudible as it sinks into him, expands and settles in his chest, somewhere that’s been waiting for it. “Mine did too.”

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading and hope u enjoyed !!


End file.
